Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools
Amp vs OpenAI Codex vs Zed
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Developers and engineering teams working on large codebases who want agents running in the background, not tied to their laptop.
Pick it if: ChatGPT subscribers who want a coding agent without paying for a second subscription.
Pick it if: Developers who want a fast editor and already pay for Claude or another AI provider.
Overview
| Attribute | Amp | OpenAI Codex | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | A coding agent that keeps working on remote machines after you close your laptop. | OpenAI's coding agent. Hand it a task and it works away while you do other things. | A fast, free, open-source code editor that runs Claude Code and other AI agents inside it. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $20/mo | $8/mo | $10/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | No | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Amp | OpenAI Codex | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.3Winner |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Amp | OpenAI Codex | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes | – |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | No |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | – | Yes | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 13/ 17 | 14/ 17 | 11/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Amp | OpenAI Codex | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | HobbyOur pick Free Developers with their own model subscription or keys. | Free Free A quick look at what it can do. | PersonalOur pick Free Almost everyone. |
Megawatt $20/mo Individuals who want Amp to host the machines. | Go $8/mo Occasional light tasks. | Pro $10/mo People who want Zed's hosted AI without managing keys. | |
Gigawatt $200/mo Heavy users running many big jobs. | PlusOur pick $20/mo Anyone who already pays for ChatGPT. | Business $30/seat/mo Teams that need spending and access controls. | |
Enterprise Custom Large companies with security and compliance needs. | Pro From $100/mo Developers who hit the Plus limits. | ||
Business $20/user/mo billed yearly, or $25 monthly Teams of 2 or more. | |||
Enterprise Custom Large organisations. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Start on Hobby and link a ChatGPT or Claude subscription you already pay for. Move to Megawatt at $20 a month only when you want Amp to host the machines so tasks run while you're away. Teams can create a workspace at no extra charge. | If you already have ChatGPT Plus, you have Codex: just try it. If you are choosing between this and Claude Code with no existing subscription, Plus at $20 and Claude Pro at $20 cost the same, so pick whichever chat assistant you prefer. If you outgrow Plus, Pro starts at $100 and has no five-hour limit for now. The $200 tier gives new subscribers less usage than it used to, and Ultrafast mode is only on the $500 tier. | Personal. If you have Claude Pro, run Claude Code inside Zed and you are done. Pro only makes sense if you want Zed's built-in assistant and edit predictions without setting up API keys. |
Key features
| Attribute | Amp | OpenAI Codex | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standout features |
|
|
|
Pros and cons
| Attribute | Amp | OpenAI Codex | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pros |
|
|
|
| Cons |
|
|
|
Who each one is for
| Attribute | Amp | OpenAI Codex | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for |
|
|
|
| You'll find it used by |
|
|
|
Questions people ask
Which is better, Amp, OpenAI Codex or Zed?
Zed scores highest overall in our ratings (Amp 4.0/5, OpenAI Codex 4.2/5 and Zed 4.3/5). Amp is best for running several coding tasks in the background at once and working on big, messy codebases. OpenAI Codex is best for background tasks in the cloud and starting a task from your phone. Zed is best for Running Claude Code inside an editor and speed on big projects.
Which is cheaper, Amp, OpenAI Codex or Zed?
Amp: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo. OpenAI Codex: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $8/mo. Zed: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $10/mo.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
Swap in another tool
More tools from Coding & Dev Tools in the library.
